GEM-SET DAY-DATES: THE COMPLETE GUIDE
In the first installment of this two-part speed-walk through the fascinating world of Rolex Bling we pressed our noses against the glass of the King of Chronos, the mighty Daytona and the ways in which it’s been lifted beyond mere timing instrument (be it your lap of Le Mans or your pre-plunged caffetiere) to haute-jewellery accessory. Today we take a look at the Daytona’s older brother, which was hip-hopping its bling long before its younger sibling was conceived. The Day Date has seen more ‘ice’ in its near-65-year lifetime than any other Rolex watch and has been adorned with gems since its very earliest iterations back in the second half of the 1950s. The ice is thick, let’s go skating…
THE PRECIOUS WATCH
Rolex unveiled the Day-Date at Baselworld in 1956. The new watch featured Rolex’s groundbreaking Datejust technology that was supplemented by the addition of a day window. From the get go, the Day-Date was manufactured in precious metals only, including yellow, white and pink gold and platinum. Over the years a small number of Day-Dates in steel have appeared and we presume they were either for testing movements or for watchmakers to work on, much like the hyper-rare brass training models that we have seen occasionally crop up. The first references available were
